How to Make the Most Out of AFP 2018

There’s a lot to do at the Association of Fundraising Professional’s International Fundraising Conference (AFP 2018). Set for next Sunday, April 15 through Tuesday, April 17 in New Orleans, the annual event promises to be jam packed with people, sessions, and exhibition booths. Without proper planning, it could be overwhelming!

Step 1: Make sure you have your official conference message. AFP emailed official welcome messages with unique registration barcodes on April 9. You’ll need your code to get in, so make sure you received it – contact them for more info if you didn’t!

Step 2: Watch the first timers’ webinar if you’re new to the event. If this is your first time attending AFPFC, you may want to watch the first timers’ webinar. It’s got a lot of insight into how to make the most of your time at the conference.

Step 3: Plan out the sessions you’re going to attend. Take some time before you go to decide what sessions you’ll be attending. There are so many great choices that you’ll have to skip a few, so take a look at your options ahead of time to make sure you get to the ones most beneficial to you. And, download the conference app to create your own personalized event experience.

Step 4: Get pumped up for the speakers! There are many awesome speakers coming to the International Fundraising Conference this year, and you’re going to be hearing a lot of amazing, inspirational lectures. Get to know a little bit about the speakers you’ll be hearing, because they have some pretty impressive backgrounds!

Step 5: Network, network, network. From vendors to fellow attendees, there are plenty of opportunities for you to make some great connections while attending AFP 2018. Some of the formal networking events include First Timers Networking, Community Group Receptions, and Fundraisers Fest at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.

Step 6: Get a lot of free swag! Don’t forget to roam the exhibition hall, and consider taking along a bag to hold your spoils. In addition to seeing some great nonprofit tools that could help your organization, you’ll have ample time to collect free swag and enter drawings for giveaways ranging from T-shirts to gift cards to Beats Headphones.

Step 7: Help a good cause and see us in action by bidding in our auction. Community Brands is proud to host an auction on our event fundraising platform! At the conference, we’ll have an auction going on at our Booth #309, with lots of amazing items on which you’re invited to bid. All of the proceeds will benefit Friends of City Park, an organization striving to preserve the beauty of New Orleans’ City Park. See our auction technology in action and learn how it can help you do great things in your own organization, all while feeling good for helping a worthy cause. We’ll be presenting a check with all of the money we raise to Friends of City Park on Tuesday, April 17.

Step 8: Come say hi. Of course, the step we most want you to take is to come by and say hi to the Community Brands team in Booth #309. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!